


self reliance

by AliuIce0814



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M, almost poetry, bruce introduces cap to early american literature, cap and bruce both feel unimportant, cap and peggy totally had a thing for each other but a lot of time has passed, emerson is better when read aloud, i finally wrote avengers slash and it ended up being this, incidental tony, weird formatting, weird parallels, weird things i write at night, why do you let me have a computer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-20
Updated: 2013-05-20
Packaged: 2017-12-12 09:44:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/810166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliuIce0814/pseuds/AliuIce0814
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>to be great is to be misunderstood</p>
            </blockquote>





	self reliance

**Author's Note:**

> I've written slash before, but only with OCs, not with other people's characters. I never thought my first slash fic would be American Pi. 
> 
> I'm not complaining.
> 
> Unbetaed, written at midnight.

_help_

Steve types into his phone

military-precise

and then deletes

click click click

the h waits

_how?_

click click

_hey,_

                he settles on

_how are you?_

…

Tony builds

                buildings, bayonets, bombs, bots

Bruce makes amends.

he built once

dad broke it

and then broke mom

Bruce can’t let things break

_good_

                he sends to Steve

                reflex

Tony breaks a metal rod

                curses

laughs

…

_i’m reading emerson_

_you said i should_

_i don’t get it_

because Steve isn’t wise like Bruce

                                                or Erskine

he has to beg for help

…

_let me_

                                                                let me what?

-heading out.

Tony doesn’t respond,

                                lost in the language of tech

Bruce wants to kiss his forehead

                                tuck him in like a child

                                                                but that’s what Pepper’s for.

…

-let me help.

Bruce has quiet feet

                                                (like Morita)

a quieter voice

                                                (like Jack on a mission)

                but he is not a soldier.

he takes the book

                                                                rustle

from Steve’s inkstained hands

                                                                rustle rustle

                                perches glasses on his nose.

…

-misunderstood?

                                                                it is better to hear these things

-pythagoras was misunderstood

                                                                than to read them

-and socrates, and jesus, and luther

                                                                alone in a cave

-and copernicus, and galileo, and newton

                                                                with the army at the entrance

-and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh

                                                                red, white, and blue.

-to be great is to be misunderstood.

…

Peggy said

                when Steve visited her

                                                a year ago

                that he had always been handsome

                that she kept the picture of him

pre-serum

                for how handsome he was

handsome and brave

a man and a grenade.

                                                                Bruce is very handsome.

…

                                                                soldiers hate Bruce

                                                                and Bruce hates soldiers

but hands pull the book away

                                                rustle rustle thump

and pull his glasses off

                                                click click

and cradle his ruined face.

                Bruce closes his eyes.

…

Steve is used to kisses in

              m            o            v              i               n             g

                                                                                              vehicles

                                                                                                           (one kiss)

Bruce’s mouth is soft

                                                but his cheek scratches

                                                                                stubble

                                Steve never has to shave

…

                                                                poke scratch scratch

                                                                poke poke poke poke

                                                                scratch poke scratch scratch

right on Steve’s arm

why

                                why

                                                                why

…

-to be great

                                                                Steve sighs

                his mouth tingles

-is to be misunderstood

-you

                -are

                                -great.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really know what that was. If you know, please tell me.
> 
> Also, everything from my computer to AO3 has fucked with the formatting.


End file.
